The Cleveland Hotel — Hotel in London

The location of this hotel was really convenient (about a 10 minute walk from Paddington and Bayswater Station), this is why I booked it over another hotel that I had had an amazing experience with in the past (QBic Hotel closer to Aldgate). However, that was practically the only thing that I really enjoyed about this place. I stayed for 8 nights but there wasn't a room available for all 8 nights so I booked two separate reservations (7 nights and then 1 night). There were three main things that were wrong with this hotel for me. I booked a non-smoking room because I don't enjoy second hand smoke or breathing in smoke smells. My entire stay, my room, the hallways, every nook and cranny of this hotel had a pungent vape smell. I stopped by the receptionist desk to ask about it after my first night and found there were three people there. When I stated the problem, one of them dismissed me immediately saying that some people smoke in front of the building and it's inevitable. I was in a non-front facing room and three floors up so that seemed...unlikely and I was a bit peeved they weren't even going to try anything. Another one of them said they would check it out, which I appreciated. When I got back that day, the hallway still reeked of vape smells but our room smelled a little bit better which means they tried to fix it. Unfortunately, that did not last very long and our entire visit was affected by these awful odors. The second is the extremely thin walls. We had horribly loud people surrounding us in both rooms that I stayed in. The first was a group of people, visiting from out of town, that spoke at extremely high volumes and banged on one another's doors at 1 or 2am every morning. We knocked on their doors twice to ask them to keep it down and they seemed genuine in their apologies but their actions proved otherwise. I'm a pretty heavy sleeper but I was able to hear it every time. The second was a group that was checking in at 4am on my last night. They were unable to get their door open and spoke at an alarmingly loud volume. I know that it's not really the hotel's fault that it attracts such a rowdy group of people but I felt it was necessary to mention it here in case it would help others in deciding whether to book a room. Also, it proves that their walls are inconceivably thin since it occurred in both rooms that I stayed in. The third is that this hotel is not accessible and I would not recommend it for anyone who needs additional assistance to go up/down a flight of stairs. Fortunately, this was not the case for me as I am privileged to be able bodied; however, when they switched my rooms, they put me in a room that required going up another flight of stairs after taking the elevator and the elevator did not reach that floor. As I was leaving the next morning, the stairs were too narrow and my bags too large (actually, they're not large but they were too large for these tiny steps) and I fell down five or so steps, incurring two different bruises. When I checked out of my first room and into my second, they did take my bags up to my room for me, which I really appreciated it. But getting them back down was one of the worst experiences that I have ever had in a hotel. Genuinely, I did not have a good stay at this hotel and I would not recommend it to anyone who is paying to actually enjoy...

This hotel is touted as a 4-star hotel, and the reviews suggest this is accurate. IT IS NOT!

From the outside, it looks very cute. From the inside, you quickly find out you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, or a hotel based on the pictures (and apparently other reviewers aren't to be trusted).

Problem 1: no lift service to all floors. Problem 2: to reach the top levels, you can take the stairs to go direct, but you're going to be walking up and down 5 levels each time, which in the UK is not advisable. The second option is to take the lift to the third floor, go down the stairs one level, walk through a maze of corridors, and then go back up 1 or 2 levels (depending on where your room is) to reach your floor. Problem 3: no real food service. Problem 4: odd water pressure fluctuations. Problem 5: no formalized support for tourists, e.g. maps, suggested local areas of interest, etc (hotel staff are accommodating and nice, but you get a sense that they're trying to make the best of it). Problem 6: the rooms are small, even by European standards. Problem 7: "double-rooms" are actually one bed and one pull-out couch in questionable condition. Problem 8: awful room styles. They are a cross between the 1970's and a military barracks. Problem 9: the floors make so much noise, if you're on a lower level you'll be annoyed by the noise, if you're on the higher levels, you'll be annoyed trying to creep around to not make noise.

The location is a redeeming factor, but there are literally dozens and dozens of other hotels with just as good, if not better, locations, so this plus should be viewed with...

We booked this last minute owing to a trip that didn't go as planned, as the base for us to stay overnight before our flight back to Dubai.

The staff was great - good fun, very helpful, very supportive - right from check-in (the one welcoming us, bidding us farewell and the one helping us with our luggages) - they were all the best part of this hotel.

The ceiling to floor windows - helped light up the room well.

The room was spacious enough - compared to other London rooms and other family rooms - we had beds for 2 adults and 3 kids to sleep well, there was a little dining table, there was TV, there was a little kitchenette with just the right equipments needed, there was a decent balcony where you can walk out and sit comfortably with calming views of the park opposite, (albeit low in height so not safe for kids)

The airconditioning worked beautifully - which it sometimes doesn't in other London hotels.

The location isn't super close to Paddington or the tube, but if you can walk, it's fine. It's pretty arterial to most places.

What could've been better?

Bathroom is quaint. Room's better.

The fact that there is a short staircase to haul big luggages over at every floor when you get off the elevator. It's a strange design and user experience I haven't seen anywhere else. They should probably build some ramp structure to help those with mobility issues. We got help from the kind gentleman who is the caretaker - else we'd have struggled with my horrid fracture and me being unable to lift heavy weights. Their...